


The Dark One- Book 1

by MaddogOUATandReignForever



Series: The Dark One [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blood and Gore, Dark Character, Dark Magic, Dark Past, F/M, Graphic Description of Corpses, Graphic Novel, Magic, Suspense, Torture, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-02
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2019-05-01 02:10:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 13,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14510226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaddogOUATandReignForever/pseuds/MaddogOUATandReignForever
Summary: Set in an alternate universe. What if Emma killed Rumplestitskin and became the Dark One? What if her parents sent Emma to a magical school called "Falling Stones" to practice magic, but backfires when Emma chooses darkness. Now as the Dark One, Emma wants to destroy her rival, the Light One: Mallory, who went to school with her and used to be her friend. With half of Excalibur controlling Mallory and the other half (the Dark One dagger) controlling Emma, both immortals set out to find a way to destroy each other. Let the final battle begin...





	1. The Beginning of the End

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! I wrote this a year ago and finally decided to publish it here for you all to enjoy! I'm still editing it piece by piece so that you guys don't have to wait too long for the next chapter. You may have noticed that in the title, it says Book 1. I am hoping that this series will be 3 "books" but I want to see what you guys think of the first book! WARNING- This book does have a torture scene, dark thoughts about killing people, and lots of death. If you want to skip over some of these scenes, I totally understand and its okay (I don't blame you). I'm hoping to post at LEAST once a week, but I am going on a few vacations this summer that I will post chapter for before I leave and I will do my best to tell you guys when I am leaving and when I will post again. I will also try to warn you in these notes at the beginning of each chapter what kind of violence (if any) and/or killing there will be. Thank you all so much and I hope you like it!

Falling Stones. I remember the school well. It seemed like just yesterday, I was being sent off to practice my magic in a perfect environment. But those days are behind me. Now, I’m different, my life is different, everything is different. I don’t care.

I walk over to the closest window. I now live in a castle built entirely out of magic. Falling Stones taught me too well. My castle is, as the locals call it, “The Dark Fortress.” Catchy title, huh? It is true, it is a dark fortress. Between the gates and the castle, my realm is completely on fire. Past the gates, a river lies. The river is called “Soul River.” It divides into three parts; Lava, Water, and huge pieces of Obsidian. On each side of the river, walls rise, dividing good from evil. The wall closest to the water is made of unbreakable ice. On the other side with the lava, the wall is made completely of burning rock. That is where I live. It is where I have lived for hundreds of years. 

Behind the ice wall is where my nemesis named Mallory lives. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, (which you probably don’t), my name is Emma. Most people know a person named Emma, so I will introduce you to my more colorful title. I am mainly known as The Dark One. If you couldn’t already guess, my nemesis’s more colorful title is the Light One. Anyway, long story short, we went to school together, she chose good, I chose evil, we became light and dark, bah bah bah, and now we each want to destroy each other forever. Ok, now I really have to go. These meetings can’t wait forever. I dress in my darker palate of clothing and make sure to change up my look at every meeting, but still keep up the dark look. I almost always wear black and red, and sometimes I wear a hint of purple. These meetings I attend (and dread) are the creation of Mallory, to see if I would either somehow turn good or relinquish my dagger. (Neither are going to happen but screwing with her when I attend these meetings brings me joy.) 

I appear in a cloud of black smoke right next to my seat. They stare. They always do. I hear the voices. While being able to live forever is great, eternal life has some limits. My dagger for example. But no one has touched my dagger in centuries. Until now.  
“Hello” says Mallory in a sour tone.

I grin. “Did you know that stealing from me is punishable by death?”

“I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Oh,” I grin more. “I think you do.”

I wave my hand and there he is. A thief. He is in a cage.

“I found this man,” I say pointing to him, “trying to steal my dagger from me.”

“He told me that you wanted to destroy me, and so you went and got sleeping poppies. This man snuck into my chamber and tried to throw them at me. Honestly, do you think I was stupid enough not to put a protection spell over myself? And, do you think I just leave my dagger on a table for someone to come and get? No! Never! You are all fools to think that you can defeat me with just one thief.”

I look around. “And as punishment to your people, I will kill this man for trying to do your bidding!”

“Please, Dark One, reconsider!” Mallory cries.

“No! Never!” I scream.

I walk over to the thief. Then, ever so swiftly, I rip out his heart, and then walk closer over to Mallory. 

“Too bad you can’t do anything this time, Light One!” 

I turn and crush his heart until it was nothing but dust in the wind. 

“You can still be a good person Emma. No matter what you have done,” Mallory says.

“Why would I be a good person when I can be more powerful than anyone? And who, pray tell, would forgive me after all that I have done?” I ask. Mallory seems at a loss for words, because I’m right. Who would forgive a murderer whose killed and tortured so many? “Goodbye, oh, and next time you want my dagger; you may want to rethink casualties.”  
I then teleport away to my castle.  
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-  
I sigh, looking at my dagger. I remembered the first time I got it. It was such a long time ago but I still remember…  
No, stop thinking about it I told myself! It’s over now. All of it.   
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-   
I walked up the grand staircase, annoyed. When I reached my room, I fall on the bed. Too bad that my bed was useless. You would think I would be tired, but I’m not. Apparently, when I took on the job as the Dark One, I didn’t get the part where you didn’t get to sleep.   
I go to the third floor. I am the only person who goes up there. When I get there and lock the door behind me, I open a special vault. This is to make sure no one is watching me put the dagger inside. From this vault, not even the Light One can get it, only a few people can access it if they know what to do. A few years back, I decided to make my dying harder to accomplish. So, I took the dagger and made a special spell that someone has to follow to kill me. Of course, it is hidden far away from my dagger so that no one could get both at once. I sighed; living for eternity is rough when you can’t sleep for any of it. So, closing my eyes and listening to the world is what I love to do instead. It is peaceful.  
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-  
I open my eyes. Someone is here. I arose.   
“Halt! Don’t move, Dark One, or I will shoot!”  
“Please, you can’t hit me,” I say with a laugh.  
He loads his bow and pulled back. I wait. He grins and lets go. Right before it hits me, I catch it and drop it on the floor.   
“I’m immortal. Even if that arrow hit me, I wouldn’t die or get hurt. You may want to ask someone what knows how to kill me before you come to the person with the darkest soul that happens to be immortal.”  
He pulls out his sword. I laugh.  
“Even demons can be killed!”  
“I won’t die today, but you will!”  
I disappear and reappear right in front of him. I then ripp his heart right clean out of his chest and crush it. He drops to the floor; stone dead. I take his sword and leave him there for my guards to pick him up and take him away. I go to the back of my bedroom into my office. There, I put the sword on my shelf, along with the others. Ever since the first person tried to kill me, I decided that when I killed them, I would take the thing that represents them… their hand-crafted swords. Ever since then I have collected every single sword of every single person that has tried to kill me. I smile at the thousands of swords in my collection and finally go down to the dining room.  
I eat in silence with my guards at my side, ready to kill if someone were to enter my domain. Silence.   
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-  
As a Dark One, you need to have hobbies. Since I don’t sleep, I have come up with many hobbies that don’t really involve magic. For one, I collect swords (but you already know that). I also have mastered many different languages and instruments. I mostly try to do my hobbies in the night time so no one disturbs me. I also do many tricks with magic and collect magical items from different worlds. Of course, there is always that hunger of wanting to destroy Light magic once and for all. I will do it. There was a book at Falling Stones. A book on defeating any kind of magic. I destroyed it a long time ago, but I know where to get the last copy ever made. My parents.


	2. The Darkness Will Come

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! This chapter includes some flashbacks from before and after Emma was born when her parents find out that there is a prophecy surrounding their daughter.

A long time ago... 

James and Kenna waited in the lobby. Kenna was now six months pregnant and quite anxious. The nurse called for them. They stood and followed her inside. In the room a man with a gray beard in a red robe was sweeping the floor. He stopped and motioned Kenna to lay on the table with James by her side. 

“Miss Kenna, I am so glad we may finally meet," he said.

"Thank you for meeting with us, sir. So is it true?"

The man went over to Kenna and put his hand over her large belly. His expression saddened. "I am sorry but it is true." he said. James held Kenna as she cried into his arms.

"NO! WHY ME!" she cried.

When she finally stopped crying she said, "Is there anything we can do for this child? Is there any hope at all?"

The man said sadly, "No, there is nothing we can do except to have hope that she will be raised to be good."

Kenna replied, "Did you just say, ‘She’?"

"Yes, your child, as it says in the scroll, shall be a girl."

"No one would tell me what the scroll said. What is it exactly?" she asked.

"I will tell you,” be warned, “but it is a sad tale."

"I think I can manage," she replied.

The man continued, "The purest of souls shall have a child. But this child will grow to be the most powerful Dark One ever to live. Everyone, even her parents shall fear her and be forced to bow down to her. She will grow to love the darkness and will defeat all who stand against her. She will be victorious and will live longer than most. Sadly, she will grow to be the darkest person in all the realms. She will be strong, beautiful, and talented. The darkness will swallow her so much that not even the power of all of the most powerful sorcerers in the universe will be able to help her. With all this evil power, people might call her a god. She will be our opponent in the final battle of good and evil. Emma will be dark, no matter how much people try." He finished with a saddened look on his face. 

Kenna had already started crying again. They both thanked the man and left with answers they didn't want to deal with. But before they were fully out the door, Kenna had an idea, she hated herself for even thinking it, let alone consider it, but there were too many lives at stake. She asked, "What if I had an abortion?"

The man replied, "It is already too late. You cannot have one. This child is protected by the scroll. It cannot be unchanged. I wish I could say there was another way, but there isn't."

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Today...

I sit on the perch of my window, holding my dagger. I am thinking hard about what I was going to do when I saw my parents. I haven't spoken to them in a couple of centuries. When I finally learned what I was meant to be, they knew they had to cheat out death to stay alive and to try to stop me. I haven't seen them since. I still have mixed feelings about them. I know, of course, that love is weakness. I learned that a long time ago. But, I know for a fact that, if someone was about to kill them or have me kill myself instead, I would let them die because I am a very selfish person when it comes to who gets to live and who gets to die. I keep staring out the window. I will go to them tomorrow, and I will leave with that book... no matter what I have to do to get it.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*  
A long time ago...

They rushed. When the nurses and doctors came out, they saw it. It was today. Today was the day. James was running with Kenna in his arms. She was screaming. The main doctor came out with a gurney, as James ran up to him.

"Help, Kenna's in labor!" he cried.

Once Kenna was on the gurney, she was wheeled inside to an empty room on the other side of the hospital. When they finally got to the room, the doctor came in. 

"She's ok, you got here just in time," he said.

James was left outside on a bench, while his wife painfully cried out every few minutes. Finally, he heard her give one final scream before she cried with relief. The doctor came out and nodded his head in the direction of the room. James went in. The first thing he saw was his wife on the bed, holding a little pink bundle. He went over to see his new daughter. He gasped. There in his wife's arms was the most beautiful baby he had ever seen. He wasn't quite sure she was real. She, as the scroll said, was so beautiful that she really did look like a god. Her eyes were mysterious and green with perfect pale skin that looked like marble. She even had a little clump of blonde hair on her head that with a little brushing would make her the picture of perfect. It took him a minute to realize that she was his daughter, no one else’s. And at that moment, there was no room for the worries of her future... for now.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Present Day...

I hear the bell. Great. Another person is about to die. I go and tell the guards to open the doors. Once they are open, the first thing I see is a man. He is dressed in white and is a little too short if you ask me. He is holding an envelope. 

"I was sent by the counsel to give this to you."

I reply, "Yes thank you… and now you shall die!"

"NOOOOO!" he cries. "Please, Dark One, have mercy!"

"Mercy? Why would I have mercy?" I say and arch a perfect brow, right before reaching forward and tearing his heart from his chest. I crush it, leaving the body for the guards to take away. I go to my chambers and open the envelope. It reads:

Dear Emma,  
If it’s ok with you, we would like to finally meet you. We never have gotten the chance to tell you everything, and we want to make it up to you. We hope you accept this invitation. We just got accepted onto the counsel, so we will be seeing you often now. We just can’t wait! We were also wondering what happened at Falling Stones? You didn’t send us any letters or anything, and then out of the blue, the Headmaster came to us and told us you had left the school. We were just wondering why you never told us anything. Even when you were a child, you seemed off. Never wanting to open yourself up. Please forgive us. We know that we as your parents should be more supportive. Your father James has wanted to meet you and so have I. After you left the only photo we had of you was when you were born, and we found a picture of you before we sent you to Falling Stones when you were 13 The counsel says you look way different, but they still don’t have a picture for us to see.  
I don’t understand, Emma. Why did you turn dark? You were everything to us. Why? We raised you to only be good. We also realize that you have been alive for some time now and that you are probably wondering how we are still alive. Well, we are alive because we found a way to cheat out death. We have waited so long and so patiently to finally meet you. We hope you feel the same way. Please come to the meeting. We beg you. We love you.  
Love,  
Mom & Dad

I am angry. I can not believe that after all this time, they have finally reached out. Well to bad for them, it was too late for my love. But, why not give them a show while they’re here? 

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

A long time ago….

Kenna and James came home a few days later. They decided to have a party so that the entire town could see that she would not become a monster.

Everyone came to see her, and everyone was struck when they first caught a glimpse of her. Emma. Everyone congratulated them, even though inside they knew that someday, they would have to kill her.

One of Kenna's good friends walked up after seeing Emma and said, "Oh, Kenna, it’s sad that one day she will be the darkest of souls. She really does look like a god. It’s even worse that someday she will die. I hope she will have pictures of herself taken. She is way too beautiful to be painted with such dull colors."

All Kenna could do was stand there with her mouth hanging wide open. Shocked that someone would dare to say such terrible things about her baby. 

She looked at James for help. "Um, if you'll excuse us, we should go back to greeting people."

After the party had ended, Kenna went to her room and sobbed into the pillows for hours. James cleaned up everything and then went to lie beside his wife. They laid there and just as Kenna's tears slowed, Emma started crying. She was hungry again.

Kenna stood up. "I'll go feed her."

After Emma stopped crying and finally went to sleep, Kenna and James got ready for bed and instantly fell asleep. 

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Today…

It was finally morning. Since I never sleep, I fill in the long nights with work. I went over to my organ. I played for about an hour. I painted. I decided a while ago that when I collected the swords, I needed them to also reflect me. So, I decide to spin out gold string. I then weave the string together. This is a very long process. Then, I tie the gold strand on bottom of the handle, closest to the blade.

I go to my bedroom and dress for the day. Jet-black pants with high-heeled boots. The top? It almost looks like a robe because the back trails behind me. Its dark purple with black lace on the outside. On each of my shoulders, I add a black devil horn. When I look in the mirror, I laugh. Now that’s what darkness really looks like.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to make a quick note that I changed the names of Emma's parents so that I could create a new identity for them. They look the same but have completely different personalities. I got Kenna from a book where the character is also a mother to a daughter. James (oh the irony) was David's (Prince Charming's) evil twin brother! I thought that since this was an alternate universe Fan fiction, I would add some dramatic irony.


	3. Its Been A While...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I know, it's only been a day since I last posted but I want to get this book done so that starting in June, I can start posting the second one! Please tell your friends about the story! I want all ONCE fans to read this! WARNING-there is a few deaths, but nothing too major (in my opinion). This is a shorter chapter, but the next one will make up for it.

The next day:

I decide not to appear to them today. Instead I have half of my entire guard come with me. I put most of them in the front with only a couple dozen in the back. There are enough guards so no one can see me.

I chose an appropriate dress for the meeting. It was black and red, and draped over me in such a way that one of my most trusted guards said that I looked like the angel of death... but sexier. I even added little black and red devil horns on my shoulders to make myself more...well... evil. I put the dagger in a secret pocket in the dress. Then, once I was ready, we began to march.   
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*  
Finally, we make it there. My biggest guard walks forward to the table and turns towards the head table. “Ladies and Gentlemen of the Counsel, I present to you, The Dark One, Emma Swan!"  
All of my guards move to either side to make a path for me. When I walk out, I see some interesting faces. I first see the Light One at one end of the table. Two chairs scoot back, and I tilt toward the right to see both my parents look at me with shocked expressions. I smile. I go to my end of the table and sit on my throne. My parents sit too.

My mother speaks first, "Emma? Is that you?"

"Yes, it is. I see we finally meet again. Although this time, for more serious matters."

My father now spoke. "We are so glad we finally get to see you again! How are you?" 

"How am I? Really? You haven't seen me or tried to reach out for hundreds of years and now you ask me how I'm doing?" I said. My parents were startled. 

"Well," my mother started, "we just wanted to know if you were alright, since we haven't seen you for a while. Plus, we were wondering..."

"What? What are you wondering?" I asked with an exasperated tone and waved my hands in the air, telling her to get on with it. 

"Well... we were wondering if you wanted to come home with us? We could free you from the dagger. Come with us and start over. You could be happy. All of us could be happy."

I stood up and pulled out my dagger. I started to walk around the table. "Do any of you know what this is?" I asked, holding up my dagger. 

"It’s your dagger," someone squeaks.

"Correct. This dagger is also my life. You want to know what happened at Falling Stones, parents, I happened. I wanted the dagger. I wanted to be the Dark One. And guess what, I got my wish! I can be free of the light!"

"No Emma, you don't mean that. It’s the scroll. It made you that way," my mother pleaded.

"No! This is who I am!" I scream and walk back to my seat.

"I have almost forgotten the real reason I am here, and it was not to reunite to you two. I came here for the book. I know you have it, and I know that you know which book I am talking about! Where is it?"

"We can't tell you, Emma. The Apprentice told us not to," my mother replies evenly.

"I WILL get that book, no matter the cost!" 

I tuck the dagger back into my dress. Then I hear it. An arrow. I turn around, only to see a poison arrow coming directly at me. I smile and catch it, right before it could get to my heart. I drop it and turn around to face the head table. Then, another archer fires. This time it struck me. I looked down to see the end of the arrow sticking out of my chest and the tip sticking out from between my shoulder blades. I look at my parents faces and smile. I grip the arrow and rip it out. Then I make a bow appear. It is black (of course) with a red string. I put the poison arrow that was in my chest moments before and put it on the bow stand and fire. The archer is struck and the poison instantly takes effect. He collapses and dies right then and there. My parents look at me, horrified as the archer convulses on the floor and then finally goes still. 

"Killing me is going to take a lot more than that!" I say. 

I take the archers sword and walk back to my small army. We start back to the castle. I didn't get what I wanted, but I would get it, even if I had to kill everyone to get it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Kenna and James had unrealistic expectations for Emma, but I like to think of it as they still have hope in her to come back to the light! Thanks for reading!


	4. Meant to Be Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I am so sorry I haven't posted! It's been a crazy week but I will be posting a few chapters today/tonight so you guys can get caught up! I know I promised that this chapter was going to be long, but as I was reading what I had I hated this part of Emma's backstory and just deleted it (don't worry, it won't affect anything!)

I pause outside the house in the middle of the woods, seeking out the Apprentice. I knock on the door of a small cottage. The moment he answers, I step inside in front of him. He backs up as quickly as he can, but in the process, he trips over a stone step and falls to the floor.

"Hello," I say.

"What are you doing here, Dark One," he spits.

"Why so harsh, Apprentice? After all, this is what I was meant to be, is it not?"

"I am going to ask again. What are you doing here?"

"Well, if you must know, I am here to take you hostage so that I can get the book you gave my parents a long time ago. And… I am also here for your wand and hat," I reply.

"You will never destroy the Light, Emma, you will only destroy yourself!" he barks.

"Oh, really?" I kneel over him so that his face is just inches from mine.

"I don't think so." I whip out a bottle and open it. As soon as the pink liquid touches him, he instantly blacks out and falls asleep. “Sweet dreams.” I whisper in his ear. 

I look up. There is a wand on the table just a few feet away. I lunge for it and just as I am about to grab it, it magically disappears. I know where it went… into his hat vault. I would get the hat and the wand as soon as I got that stupid book. I grab the Apprentice and disappear back to my castle. There, I put him in a cage in the dungeon so he can’t escape. Fortunately, he is old, so he isn't moving too quickly as it were. Plus, he can't get to his wand or his hat. I decide not to tell anyone that I have him so that the minute I traded him for the book, I could get to the wand and hat before anyone else.  
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*  
Getting the wand was easy. It turns out that when the wand disappeared, it went back to the Apprentice's house a short time later, probably because he thought that whoever came for the wand would leave to go find it. Very classic. I spent the night at my castle, but luckily, I got bored and decided to go back to his house to look for clues. Then, there it was, sitting there on the table. I walked toward it and picked it up. I guess if you aren't trying to lunge or run for it, it lets you have it. Which is good for me. I need that wand. Now if I could just get that stupid hat...  
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*  
I spent another night painting. Just to fill the time. I had gone down to the dungeons when I got too bored of painting to see everyone, even the Apprentice. He had been moved there shortly after my little squalor with Mallory and my parents. He didn't even look in my direction as I entered. I didn't say anything. I walked into his cell. I had an idea. There he was. He got to leave on his normal cloths. I made sure to put magical chains on him so that he couldn’t leave. He didn't even try to fight me as I picked up his hand, pricked his finger, and let his blood drip into a vial. He was way too weak to get up. I walked over to my table. There it was. A shell. I poured the vial of blood on it and it lit up with magic. I then sent one of my guards to deliver the shell to the Light One. This shell would show her that I had the Apprentice. And, that I would trade him for the book. She would, of course, be forced to accept the deal, and then I would get that stupid book once and for all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! If you didn't get who the Apprentice is from Once, then here's a little background info. The Apprentice doesn't have a name, but is the Apprentice to Merlin from Camelot. He told Kenna her child's destiny and will be sprinkled in some more of the chapters to come!


	5. Let Me Think About That... No

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short chapter... sorry! It is short on purpose to help build up the suspense that is coming in the next few chapters!

I get ready for the meeting that I set up a few days ago. I don't want to march this time, I just want to teleport. And I do. Of course, Mallory got my message and is waiting for me, along with my parents. 

“Hello, Mallory. I’m glad that you accepted my invitation.” I say as my lips form a smile. I can see Mallory’s frustration.

"Emma, please don't do this!" Mallory pleads.

"I won't have to if you give me the book."

"Fine but promise you won't hurt him before you give him to us."

"Fine," I say.

Mallory nods to my parents, and just like that, the book is in my hands. I open it and make sure it is the right one. It is. I summon my guards. One steps up to take away the Apprentice's chains. Then he shoves him toward Mallory and my parents.

“Emma… whatever you think you can do with that book… please stop! I know you hate me, but I beg you, please! Think of what you could be if you came back to the Light! You could be reunited with your parents and have a normal life!”

“That would be easy, wouldn’t it? Sadly… I must decline the offer. I know that if I were to relinquish my dagger you would just put me behind bars. Or send me to another realm with my parents so that I could never come back. No, I will not back down that easily!”

“Emma- “

"Thank you for you time. Now I really must be going. I have places to be and things to destroy."

I smile and disappear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions? Comments? Concerns? Kudos? I appreciate any and all feedback!


	6. Happy Birthday to Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Emma's birthday, but her parents haven't been around to see what she does...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter has lots of death and killing in it! If you don't like that kind of stuff, you can skip this chapter as long as you read the last two sentences. There are flashbacks in this chapter for when Emma was younger.

Today is my birthday. My 600th birthday. I start the day by taking probably one of the longest baths in history. Then, I start to collect my victims for the meeting...  
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Long ago…  
My alarm goes off. I instantly wake up. I turn off the alarm and run to the mirror. Yes! Today is my 12th birthday! I   
dress and go downstairs. Today was going to be magical.

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I'm at 473 victims when I hear the gates open. I run to my throne and quickly sit down. Then, the doors open and a short man walks in. He is carrying a brightly wrapped package. It’s pink. Great. I groan. He walks up and gives it to me. I smile and use my magic to throw him across the room into a cell and my guards lock him in.

"Please don't kill me! Not now! I have so much to live for!"

"Oh, I'm not going to kill you."

"You're not? THANK YOU! You won't regret it, Dark One."

I am furious.

"I didn't finish. I was going to let you live here but, seeing as how I got cut off, I will add you to my list of birthday kills for today at the meeting. I teleport him out of the cage, into the arms of my guard. The guard immediately dumps him off, picks him up by his arms, and drags him over to my blacksmith. They sit him down in a chair and the blacksmith immediately begins his work. He puts more coal in the fire and gets the branding irons ready. He set the numbers ‘4’and ‘7’ in the fire to heat while he cleans the man’s arm. The man was too confused about what was going on to try to fight him. But when he sees the branding irons, he immediately starts to fight off the guards. Since he is so small, all the guards have to do is lay him on a table and put some shackles on him. The black smith takes his right arm and presses the brander slowly onto his arm. The man screams in agony and I watch with delight. 

Once one number is branded on him, the blacksmith immediately puts the brander back on the fire. Then, two more brands are seared onto the man’s flesh as he screams in agony. Once he is done, the man is too weak to fight any more as my guards drag him back to me. I pick up his right arm to examine it. It had the number ‘474’ printed on it. I smiled and motion for the guards to put him back in a cage. Only 126 more people to go. I laugh. Killing was too much fun. But then, the pink package caught my eye. I walk over and open it. There is a note first.

Dear Emma,  
Your father and I wanted to send this to you to wish you a Happy Birthday. They say you are now 600! We decided to go to a land where time is different… slower… when you became the Dark One because we didn't know what would become of you. Your father, James, found this in your old room. We know that you wanted to leave it when you went to Falling Stones but we didn't know why. I hope that one day you will come back into the light and decide to use this again. Can't wait to see you at the meeting! We love you!  
Love,  
Mom & Dad

I open the box and gasp.  
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A long time ago… 

I rush down the stairs. My parents are just about to eat breakfast when I come running down the stairs. I sit down at my seat, a little too jumpy. My mom comes over to the table to set down breakfast. She made me my own birthday breakfast with eggs, bacon, ham, and pancakes. We begin to eat and I try to finish my plate as fast as I can. Once my dad is finished, I immediately stand up and grab his arm. I start to tug on it when he says,

"Emma! Stop!"

I stop and sit back down. 

"But, Daddy! You promised me my first magic lesson today. Please! It’s my birthday!"

"Ok, I'll be out in five minutes." 

By the time his five minutes were up he was outside. My mother stood on the back porch to watch. But when my dad was walking over to me, he pulled out a pink package and dropped to his knees before me. 

"My sweet Emma. Your mother and I wanted to give this to you to use for good. We love you with all our hearts. Take it."

I take the package carefully and open it. There, inside the box, was the most beautiful wand I had ever seen. It was white and glowing with gold vines running up it.

"Thank you, guys, so much!" My mother ran over and we all hugged each other.

"Now," my father continued, "shall we begin?"

"Yes!" I squealed.

We practiced for a few hours. When my father had to go to work, I practiced with my mother since I was now home-schooled, so it wasn't a problem of how much school I would miss.   
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I march with my guards to the council’s meeting area. Groups of ten guards each pull iron carts filled with prisoners. The last group of guards carries something even more precious... the prisoner's hearts. They are all numbered with tags, as are the prisoners. When I first see my parents, they look confused. I smile, and so do my guards.

I walk over and to sit down at my chair. Mallory comes out, a horrified expression on her face. My parents look at her too, confused about the situation. 

I laugh and say, "Well, Mallory, since my parents don't know what is happening, I suggest you fill them in on my birthday plans."

Mallory sighs and turns to them. "Each year on her birthday, the Dark One kills as many people as the age she turns, so today she will kill 600 people." 

"NO!" My parents cry.

"Why, Emma? Why do you do this?" my mother cries.

I smile. “Because... I am the Dark One."

My father goes over to comfort Mallory. "Surely Mallory, you two can make a deal for these 600 people to live."

I laugh. “Oh, I've had the same deal on the table for the past 600 years."

“And what is that, Emma?" My father asks.

It is Mallory who speaks first. "She wants Excalibur."

My father looks at me, shocked. "Please," he begs. "There must be something else!" 

"Actually, there isn't. I can get everything else on my own. Guards! Bring me the chest." The moment I get the chest I open it and pull out heart #1. I speak to the heart.

"Come to me right now!"

A man in farmer's cloths comes out. I continue. "Put your sword before me." He does so without question. Then, I crush his heart. I then have groups of 50 come to me, put down their swords, and have their hearts crushed. One group is completely made up of children. My mother tries to get to them, but I put a protection spell so that no one can get in or out. My mother stands next to the barrier, helpless as I crush the hearts of men, women, and children. No one knows this, but I only kill children 14 and over. Since the Ogre wars began children 14 and up were sent to the front lines, to, well, die. I also never kill pregnant mothers or babies. Well, I won’t say never… This secret would be kept forever in my dark, cold, cracked heart for the rest of my days. I smile at my parents when I am finally finished.

I lift the protection spell and leave the now-lifeless bodies for Mallory to bury. I have the guards load the swords since there will be a ton of spinning and weaving to do now. Also, a few guards bottle any good heart ashes they can get to. Then we march back to my castle. I have on probably the biggest smile ever when I look at all the destruction. I have a lot of work to do, and this was just a distraction.

I now had some time to collect my items before anyone even noticed that I was gone from my castle. My plan was finally going into effect...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I wanted to take this time to say that the reason why Mallory couldn't save the people from Emma is because she would of had to go on Emma's land, which drains her magic. The council area is set over the river of souls, which divides Mallory's castle from Emma's. If Mallory were to set foot on Emma's territory, she would be weakened and Emma would be able to steal some of her magic. Her parents don't have magic. Thanks for reading!


	7. Thoughts, Plans, and Destruction Oh My!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is basically there to show all you readers how completely crazy Emma has gone since killing Rumple. She has become almost just like him and gone completely insane. Her motives, however, are more of a self-preservation thing.  
> Please make sure to tell people to read this fanfic who you think would like it and please comment or ask any questions and I will answer! I love hearing feedback!

The graveyard. I don't visit here very often, but I need something. Something precious. Something that would be very well hidden. What was he? Maybe 500 years old when he finally got killed? I don't know. As the Dark One, you think about these things more often than you care to admit. 

When I get to the graveyard, I easily find his grave at the front. Peter Pan. He was one of the first people to be put in this graveyard. I smile, pull out a magical knife, and go over to the side of his grave to start cutting. It’s like cutting butter. Easy. Calming. I cut until the front of the grave falls to the earth. I look inside, and, yes, there it is, the map to find Merlin's Vault. However, the map is not complete. One half of the map is missing. “Crap!” I think. Then, an idea presents itself. Lake Nostos. Perfect. 

I teleport to the lake. It’s still quite dry, but I use my dark magic to find a shell with a little water in it. I then dump the water into a small bottle and teleport back to my castle. When I get to the third floor, I place the map on an empty table. Then I pour the water onto it, and instantly the missing part of the map appears. Lake Nostos waters can put anything back together and can heal anything.

I spend all night spinning and all-day weaving. I do my best thinking as I spin. What can go wrong with my plan? Not much. A little fighting. I never tell my guards my plans. Just bits and pieces, so that if they get captured and tortured, they can't tell Mallory anything but bits and pieces. Even when I do tell my guards anything, it goes along the lines of "I will destroy light magic if it is the last thing I do" or something like that. As far as I know, Mallory has never actually tortured any of my guards. She normally uses magic to make them tell her anything they know. I try to take my mind off that topic just because its way to boring. Would you like if someone came up to you and just started talking about how the Light One uses magic to make the guards of the Dark One talk, even when they only have the same sentence to say as the last guy? No? I didn't think so. 

I go over my plan again and again, but every time I see the same obstacles, which is fine. But I know that I have to move fast so I don't have to face off with Mallory. It wouldn't be good if she got my dagger. The rules of the Light and Dark say that once a fight between the Light One and the Dark One has started, their tethered objects return to them. So, if I were to go against Mallory, her broken sword, Excalibur, would appear to her, and my dagger (the other half of the sword) would appear to me. And if Mallory somehow knocks me back, she could take the dagger since it would probably fall out from my dress pocket. Or the other way around. She has to have a sword belt since her Excalibur is much larger than my dagger. Even though I can’t tell anyone my plan (not eve you readers out there), my reasons, my plans, my ideas for the future all right here. It’s all about to unfold…

And believe me, what I have in store for Mallory if I fulfill my plan will not be pretty. But first I need a few things. The thing I need right now is the enchanted compass of the first realm. Oh yes, I must travel to my old school of magic, Falling Stones. And yes, I will kill any children, no matter how old if they try to defend it. And the teachers, well, they will put up an interesting fight for the compass. I will win, of course. I just have to make sure Mallory never finds out where I am going and what I will have to do to get there...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments? If you figure out Emma's plan before-hand, good for you! If you look closely, this chapter does leak some valuable information that will foreshadow the coming chapters and reveal some of Emma's plan. Anyone watching the series finale of Once on Friday? I'm sure crying will be the main theme of my night! I know I am posting chapters left and right, but I want lots of people to read and love this fanfic and I want to get all 15 chapters posted by May 25th since I will be going on vacation for a week! While I'm on vacation, I will start editing and finishing up the second book (yes I write like crazy and already have the next of the 3 books already typed up and ready to be edited!)


	8. Falling Stones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma's parents send her to Falling Stones... but what she discovers there will be their darkest fear come to pass...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I just wanted to let everyone know that I have put this fanfic on a schedule since now I'm super busy with finals and projects and life. I will be posting, starting today, one chapter a day until the entire story is done. I am currently editing the next chapter and it should be posted by either 1:15 or later tomorrow night. There are 7 chapters left after this, and there will be no epilogue because I am leaving you guys at a cliff hanger. So basically the last chapter will be posted next Thursday so that I can go on vacation and write the rest of the second book while I'm there. I will be returning on either June 3rd or 4th and I will hopefully start posting again.

A long time ago...

I just got home with an important letter. It’s from The Falling Stones Boarding School in Falling Stones Valley. The school has invited me to join them and leave my parents. Now that I'm in seventh grade, I can go there to strengthen my powers and talents. But, I don't possess just any magic, I possess dark magic. As I read the letter, I know I want to go to be free of my angelic parents. The letter says to pack my things because the first day of school is tomorrow. I don't need much since magic gives you everything, but I do pack a few things. Now I have to wait until tomorrow. It’s going to be a long rest of the day...

The next day I jump out of bed and hurry to get ready. My parents say goodbye and hug me. I grab the letter and my small bag of belongings and walk to the front door. I hold out the letter and step outside, only to disappear in front of my parents. The letter also acts as a portal to the school. When I step out, I am right in front of the huge iron gates. They instantly open when I get close enough. I follow the signs to the front office, where they give me my schedule for the year. They also give me my dorm number and my testing room number. They tell me that I have to take a test for each subject today on my first day to see what advanced magic classes I get to take.

After everything is taken care of, I head up the path that leads to the dorms. The paper that the receptionist gave me tells me that I am in dorm 27A. Each dorm has five rooms, each designed to change to fit the mood you are in or to fit your needs. I teleport to the dorm. Walking is stupid. I open the door and am welcomed by two of my friends, Heidi and Caroline. To give you a brief description, Heidi is good and is a shape shifter, which is a person that can change into anything they want. 

Caroline is evil and loves witchcraft. They welcome me and show me which room I am in. The second I step into the plain white room, it transforms into a red and black room. I love my new room. There is a library in the corner and a magic table filled with different ingredients and things to make potions. I just finish looking around my room when the rest of the girls get here. There is Mallory, she's good and selfless and also a new girl named Syd, who is both good and evil. She is a shape shifter like Heidi. Once we are all here and the girls get to unpack and explore their rooms, we head to breakfast. We take our places in line for food. When we get to a table I have all kinds of pastries, pancakes, and bacon! I know how to use most of my magic so I hold my hand out and "puff" a tall glass of orange juice appears. Once we are done with breakfast, we head to the testing rooms.

The thing about these rooms is that they are really small. The room is only big enough for a small desk and 2 chairs. One chair is in the corner for the teacher, and the desk and other chair is for the student. The second I take my seat; a name plate appears with my name on it. The teacher comes to give me all the tests and I begin immediately. Some of the questions are personal, but most of them are about magic. I finish them quickly, and when I do finish, the tests get sealed with magic so that I can't change my answers. The teacher comes to pick up my paper, but I say to come back in a minute. He doesn't leave but he does back up a few steps to watch me. I concentrate and sweep my hand over the test. This is the spell that tells me my grade. It’s a 100% A, of course. My teacher just looks at me and can see that I used Dark Magic, but even worse, I used Dark Magic on purpose.   
Once lunch comes, I teleport to the cafeteria, grab some lunch, and then teleport back to my room. We test more and each teacher watches as I use Dark Magic to check my tests. I got every test right but one. The selfless test. I got all the answers wrong. Then the final test comes. 

We go to the Falling Stones auditorium. All the teachers and students sit down. Each student is called to go up to the stage and hold a magic ball. If the ball turns white, you are good. If the ball turns black, you are evil. If the ball turns gray, then you are both. Everyone before me with a black ball still had a bit of white in it. I am the last student to go.   
I teleport to the podium. Everyone stares. No one learns that magic for a few years. I love being a rebel, especially with magic. Now I have the Headmaster's full attention. I take the ball in my hands. Slowly the entire ball fills with darkness. The Headmaster now gets up and goes to the podium. She freezes the ball in its current state and stares at it. She turns it and looks at it from every angle. There isn't one sliver of white... at all. 

"Emma, do you like Dark Magic?" she asks me.

"Yes." I reply.

"What is Dark Magic to you?"

I smile. "I think Dark Magic is power."

She stares at me for a moment. "Ok, you may be seated." She dismisses everyone. We have to eat dinner in our rooms tonight. I can’t wait until tomorrow.

The next day is the first day we do our regular classes. I wake up with a smile on my face. I get up and imagine a beautiful floor-length black dress with gold lace, and just like that, I am wearing it. I head down to breakfast and sit. Everyone is staring. The line is too long for me so I simply imagine and wave my hand over the table. In a second, mini cakes of all flavors with fruit cover my end of the table. I eat in silence until my friends arrive with their trays. They all look at all the food, wondering if I even waited in line.

"Dark Magic," I answer.

Caroline throws her tray in the trash and comes to sit next to me. We share my food which is so much better than the school's. Mallory, Heidi, and Syd gives Caroline and I cold stares, but when I turn to see her reaction, she is smiling at them and takes another bite of cake. 

Finally, class starts. I head to regular math. I don't like it but I have to take the class. Once the teacher hands out classwork, I use a Dark spell that I've been working on that writes down the answers and then copies them into your brain so that I can remember what we have been talking about and I have all the answers to any question that the teachers ask me.

After math I head down to English. I discover that I don’t care for English that much. Music passes by so fast that I don't remember what we learned until the spell kicks in. I then go to another uneventful lunch, and after lunch, I have reading. For reading, I just get so bored that I read a spell book instead of listening. Finally, my last classes are my favorites. Advanced Chemistry is where we make potions. My next class is Science, where we learn about all different kinds of effects that potions have on different creatures. My last class is the History of Magic. There I only pay attention when the teacher briefly talks about the beginning of Dark Magic. Then, we have free time and dinner shortly after. I realized the minute I hit the pillow, I wanted to be evil. Not wicked, or mean, but evil. I want to be the darkest person in all the realms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I am hoping to complete the second book on vacation so that I can move on to the third one (hopefully) and then finally get to my Reign fanfic! Onto chapter 9!


	9. Miss Me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma is going back to Falling Stones, but how will she get there and what is she after?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this chapter is a bit late but I just finished the series finale of ONCE and was bursting into tears... and then I remembered that I needed to post my chapter! =) Anyway, please comment on the story and what you thought of the last episode (if you watched it) Lets keep the Hit streak going and getting more people to read this!

My plan. I thought and rethought my plan over and over again as I spun and wove. I thought of any additional flaws but came up with the same ones every time. The only flaws in my wonderfully evil plan was Mallory finding out where I was going, how I would get there, and what it was going to take to get there. 

The only thing I was really worrying about was Mallory getting my dagger. When the Dark One and Light One fight, Excalibur and the dagger appear. It gives both of them a chance to get the opponent’s weapon and control them. And if Mallory got my dagger, that would be pretty much the end of my life. If I got Excalibur, it would probably be the end of the world. I knock on a door of a small house. A woman in a long blue dress with yellow flowers answers. She gasps and backs up. 

"Dark One, why have you come to our home? Would you like anything to eat?" She didn't want to die. I could tell. 

"Actually, I'm here for something a bit more precious today. I hear rumors that your daughter has just been accepted in Falling Stones, and that she will be leaving this afternoon at one o' clock through a magical portal."

"Well... yes, it’s true. Why do you ask?" 

"Because," I begin, "I need her to extend the invitation to me as well."

"Why would you need to go back to Falling Stones?" she asks quietly.

"That is my business. Now I'm willing to make you a deal. You let me travel with your daughter, I don't kill her, and she goes in peace, and whatever harm I do to everyone else will not include her. She will be safe from my wrath."

"What an interesting deal for the Dark One to offer. What is the catch?" she asks.

"I can promise you, there are no catches or loopholes. In truth, I just need to get there. I really just want to walk in there and get what I am after, but the teachers at Falling Stones will surely put up a fight for it and try to contact Mallory to try and help. That was the other matter I wanted to make clear to you… if you tell Mallory about my plans, I will kill your daughter because I will know who sent her."

"If I were to accept, how will you extend the invitation? I thought only one can travel through?"

"Well," I begin, "I'm glad you asked. The portal doesn't allow everyone in. But there is always a loophole, and it turns out the loophole is that whoever has enrolled into the school and passes through a portal there can enter through the same kind of portal again."

"Ok, but why do you need my daughter? You're powerful enough, why don't you just teleport there?"

I groan. "Because if I were to teleport there, it would be noticed immediately and the Head Master would call Mallory. But if I traveled with your daughter, I would remain unnoticed from the public eye because she is enrolled and the portals don’t have detectors. Of course, you still have to have magic and be powerful enough to cross into the Falling Stones realm. Normal people without magic would die before they could get out of the portal," I finished. Explaining reason was getting too old.

"Now, do we have a deal?" I ask.

The woman sighs and carefully bows her head. “Yes." I pull out the contract and have her sign it.

"Thank you. Oh my, it’s 12:55. We need to go."

“Of course, Dark One," she answers.

She runs upstairs and brings out her daughter, while I sit down and make myself at home. She has pale skin (not as pale as mine of course), red hair, and curious green eyes. The minute she sees me she doesn't run or hide. Instead, she runs to me before her mother can grab her. She stops a few feet before me and stares. I know what she sees, skin almost as pale as snow, white hair, and, of course, my skinny black pants and curled turtleneck top. Also, she stares at my high-heeled boots. We stand silent for a few moments before she does the most unexpected thing I have ever seen. She came and sat down right beside me. I am stunned, especially when she puts her hand on mine, but quickly pulls away when she feels how cold my skin is. Probably as cold as ice. Her hand is warm.

"Are you the Dark One?" she asks.

"Why yes," I answer. "Did your mother tell you that you are going to take me to Falling Stones today?"

"I thought good guys don’t make deals with bad guys." She says quietly. I reach my hand out and stroke her hair.

“Sometimes, good guys have to make bad choices… to save the ones they love.” I say with a hint of sadness in my voice. I make her look up at me. “Now, you must promise me two things. The first thing is that you won't tell anyone that I am there until I reveal myself, and the second thing is that you won't tell anyone that you brought me here or that your mother and I made a deal. It could put you and your family in danger and no one needs to know that it was you who helped me. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand. I won't tell anyone."

"Good, now when you get there, check in as quickly as possible and stay in your dorm until they tell you that I am gone. This shouldn't take me long, but they will put the school on lockdown, so just stay put. Can you do that?" I ask.

"Yes. I can do that. Why do you care about what happens to me? Everyone says that the Dark One wants to kill and destroy everything." I pull the contract from my coat and unroll it.

“Because your mother and I have made a deal. I get to go to Falling Stones, and you are safe from my wrath.” I answer and tuck the contract away once more. “Oh, and one more thing, if you don't get to your dorm in time, just hide and stay out of my way. I just want something and if I can get it without killing children, I will. Alright? Let’s go."

We head to the door. Once we are outside, she opens the scroll, takes my hand, and we jump through. I smile. This was going to be quite the show. We land on the edge of a gray platform on a cliff at the school.

"Ok, go quickly. I'll be coming in a few minutes so hurry."

"Ok, bye," she calls as she runs off to the gates of Falling Stones.

I wait for about 10 minutes and then go to the gates myself. To look dramatic, I make sure to put a trail of fire and black smoke to trail behind me as I walk. Before the guards can ring the alarm bell, I lift them of the ground and throw them off the cliff at the entrance. I decide not to go through the gates, but instead go to the very end of the wall and teleport to the other side. Once through the walls, I creep along the shadows of the buildings so that no one can see me. Finally, I reach the center of the school, where it is kept… the compass to the Apprentice's vault.

The hat I need is in a secret vault that no one can find. But there is one way. I will need Peter Pan’s magic map that I got from his gravestone. I also need the magic healing-property water from Lake Nostos, which I got so that I could make the map whole again. And finally, the magical compass of the Fortland Mountains, where dwarfs are hatched and where the dwarfs mine fairy dust all day. This compass will show me to the vault. I quietly teleport to the compass. No one is there. I break the glass. Then I see them. All of the Falling Stones teachers. 

I don't get how they would even dare to throw the first punch but they did. The leader (I don't know him, he must be the new Head Master, counts down from three. Then they all hit me with all they have… and completely fail. I guess some people are just too stupid to realize that they can't defeat me without using my dagger. I lift them all off the ground. Then I get an idea. This is going to be fun. I use my magic to pull out the electric light wires and make them twist around every teacher's hands. Then I hang them upside down. They start to fight the wires, but I make a statement that says "Don't fight while I'm still here" by killing three teachers on the spot. I turn and start to walk away when the new Head master yells at me. 

“Mallory will find out about this!” he screams. I spin my heal and face him. 

“Oh,” I smile. “I’m counting on it.” And then I disappear in a cloud of black smoke. 

I go back to my castle. That was just too easy. But the hardest part of this whole mission still has yet to come. But it will come soon. Very soon. And I will be ready for her. Mallory is coming...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions? Comments? Concerns? Suggestions? Kudos? The most kudos and hits, the higher on the list this story goes! BTW: The next chapter is really short, however it does have crucial information that will help you guys figure out Emma's plan (if you haven't already, but I think it's obvious now) Keep reading! 6 more chapters in 6 days!


	10. It's The End of the World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small chapter, but crucial information!

Once I am back at my castle, I set up for my task for this afternoon. I take the map and place it on my desk. Then, I take the compass and place it in the center of the map. It spins around a few times before I realize there is something missing. Angry, I teleport back to the meeting area. Mallory was stupid enough to have smashed my message shell that recorded my bargaining message when she found out that the Apprentice was my prisoner. I look over the remains and there it is. On one of the smallest pieces of shell is a single drop of blood. I pick up the piece delicately and pour the small drop into a small vial. Finally, everything is ready.

I teleport back into my office and pour the small vial of blood into the center of the compass. Instantly, it starts to spin. It spins faster and faster until finally it stops. It points to the Infinite Forest. I then know what to do and put the map at an angle and pour the blood out of the compass and onto the map. The blood makes a little river and travels down to the edge of the map. There, the blood moves down a path that leads straight to the vault. I did it. But I better hurry… because I can't risk another day without going to the vault. If I do Mallory might find out and try to stop me. I just hope to get the hat to my castle. The Apprentice is probably back in the vault guarding it again, but this time around I won't take him as a prisoner. I will kill him. And that is what darkness really looks like...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will also be short, but Chapter 12 will be long! Thanks for reading!


	11. As We Know It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are at 94 hits! The more people that read this story, the better! Tell people if you think that they would enjoy this!

I set out immediately and go to the Infinite Forest. I walk for about an hour, following the map carefully, and finally get there, Merlin's Vault. It is hidden behind some poisonous bushes, which I simply wave my hand and the bushes stretch away in both directions, clearing a secret path. Even if someone did get past the bushes, the entrance is guarded by a powerful spell. Piece of cake for me. I think of spells to be like fabric. I take out my dagger and stab the spell and run my dagger from the top to the bottom. And just like fabric, it rips. I carefully walk down the staircase. Finally, I reach the bottom of the huge staircase. At the bottom there is a room, which is shaped in a circle, and in the middle is the hat. The hat sits on a small pillar of stone. I check to make sure that there are no protection spells on it. Nope, none. It’s hard enough to open the box with the hat inside, let alone bring down a powerful protection spell. The box itself is gold with a midnight blue top that has a map of the stars. 

I go to the box and take out my dagger. I wave the dagger over the box and touch the tip of the dagger blade to the North Star. Instantly the top starts to spin. Its spins faster and faster and faster until finally it stops and opens. And then there it is, Merlin's Hat. I pick it up carefully and wave my dagger back over it. It turns back into a box. I quickly make it disappear back to my castle. I hear footsteps. The Apprentice is back to guarding. I turn to face him.

"You have failed, Apprentice. I now possess the power of the Hat."

"You might have the Hat, Dark One, but I didn't come alone."   
Oh crap. The next thing I know, I've been struck with the Lightest of Magic. Ouch. My vision is blurry. I'm on the floor. I look up, only to see Mallory staring down on me. I should have known she would catch on soon enough. Then everything goes black. The last thing I see is Mallory picking up my dagger. Crap. 

This isn't going to be fun...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I decided that I will post chapter 12 tomorrow and then BOTH chapter 13 and 14 on Tuesday because I might be gone on Thursday, so I want to finish the story by Wednesday!


	12. Welcome To My World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mallory has captured Emma... but what does she plan to do with her? WARNING: THIS CHAPTER DOES CONTAIN TORTURE, so if you cannot handle this kind of stuff, I recommend reading the last few lines of the chapter and moving on!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to say that I am soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo sorry for not posting last night. I had to finish one of my final projects and when I finished I needed to sleep. I will be posting the three chapters today as promised! Forgive me!

Slowly I drift back into consciousness. Once I'm able to sit up, I look around and see that I am in a cell. But not just any cell, a cell built in the deepest part of the dwarf mines. I remember that Mallory took my dagger, but I don't see her anywhere. I wave my hand and realize why no one is guarding me. Squid Ink. I also notice Peter Pan's handcrafted magic cuff on my wrist. Because of the squid ink, I can't use my really powerful magic to take it off. Great.  
So, I just sit there. Waiting.

A few hours later, I hear footsteps. Then I catch a glimpse of my dagger. The only reason I know it’s in the room is because I can hear it call to me. Then I hear the words.

"I command the Dark One to sleep until I say to wake up." It’s Mallory's voice. Instantly, I fall asleep.

When I wake up, I'm still in my clothes. My new problem. There are two poles on each side of me. Each pole has two chains that lead up to me. My hands and ankles are shackled. For someone looking directly at me, they would see me, two poles on each side of me, with the top two chains pulling my hands as far away from my body as possible and holding me up off the ground. My legs are about a foot off the ground now. My limbs looked like an X. Across from me, there are a few rows of chairs. Then to the side, there is one lonely chair. I wait.

A few minutes later I hear more voices. I see Mallory walk in first, followed by, surprisingly, the Leaders of the Realms. Well, some of the leaders. I remember the first few leaders. The Wizard of Oz (weird guy), King Arthur (I hate him), the Blue Fairy (way too tiny), some other people I don't know or care about, and my parents. My parents don't know what is going on I can tell. The minute they see me, they run to me, but they are stopped by two of Mallory's guards. After everyone was seated, a metal door in the back of the room opens. I couldn't see until he came into view. This man wore a long black cloak with a head mask. One of his eyes was an light icy blue with white snowflakes dancing around. The other eye was bright red with flames dancing around. When he turned around, you could see the back of his cloak was white. I knew who he was. The Blank Punisher. 

The Blank Punisher is a man chosen to be trusted with the tethering items of the Dark and Light One when either is captured. He is not Light nor Dark, he is blank slate for life. He is chosen to punish both Light and Dark, for both sides have flaws.   
He looks at me for a minute, and then goes to sit in his chair. Once everyone is seated. Mallory gets up and goes to stand only a few feet from me. She makes sure that everyone is listening before she addresses the crowd,

"Leaders and others of the realms, I asked you to come here today to witness the punishment of the Dark One, Emma Swan. She has been a danger to us all for the past 600 years, but now that time is over! She will be locked up and kept where no one can ever find her. For now, the Blank Punisher will punish Emma for all her crimes."

I decide that this is the perfect moment to speak up. “Um... Mallory, I think that you have to list my crimes.” My parents were so confused that it was actually funny. Mallory goes over and gets a scroll from the Blank Punisher.

"Right," Mallory began. "The Dark One has murdered 1,717,638,294 people, tortured and killed 84 realm leaders, concurred and destroyed 48 realms, and tried to have me killed 425 times."

I laugh. "Umm... Mallory?"

She turns. "Yes, Emma?" 

"Well, actually, I've killed 1,717,638,299 people because I killed 5 of your people. Three of them were sent to kill me by the way.”  
Mallory is mad, but she doesn't let it show too much. 

"So, are we going to get this over with?" I ask. And so, it began. Mallory sits down and the Blank Punisher stands up. The minute he gets close enough, he rips off my shirt, leaving me in a black bra. He goes over to Mallory and takes the dagger from her.

"What would you like me to do?" he asks.

"Break her until she begs you to stop, I want to see the Dark One beg for mercy." Mallory replies. I smile. I wasn't going to break in front of Mallory. But when I get ahold of her, the first thing I am going to do is break her...bones.

The Blank Punisher comes over with my dagger and begins with my back. He digs the knife into my back harder and harder as he traces one side of my spine. I smile and hold my head high as he does this. He begins the next side. Then, he starts to design stuff on my back. Blood comes pouring off me. I keep my head high still. Once he is satisfied with my hurting back, he moves on to my stomach. Instead of cutting, he ties the handle and the tip of the dagger to the edge of his hand. Then he punches me with my dagger. I cough once. He beats me until I am pretty sure my stomach was in my throat. It burns. He had definitely broken a few of my ribs.

My mother is in tears. She can't stand to see her child hurting. "MALLORY PLEASE, STOP THIS!" she cried.

"No, Emma must be punished. She has done too many terrible things, and she cannot be reasoned with," Mallory replies evenly.

"Maybe she can. What if Emma promised never to hurt anyone ever, and she came to live with us? Would you stop this and let her come home?" my mother asks.

"I would. But Emma has to agree," Mallory replies.

"I know she will. Thank you."

Mallory waves her hands and the Blank Punisher stops. By then all my ribs were broken, I was covered in blood and bruises, and I was pretty sure that I couldn't walk if I tried. Mallory stands and walks over to me. "Emma, I can stop this if you promise to never hurt anyone ever again, and you have to go live with your parents."

I lift my head, which was covered in blood. "No." 

My mother runs over to me. "Please, Emma. You can have a fresh start. You can change. You can leave the darkness. Just come with your father and me. We can all live happily ever after together as a family. Just please come home."

"Why would I want to leave the darkness? You don't understand, Mom, I'm a villain, I have been for hundreds of years, and villains don't get happy endings. I love the darkness, and I hate being good. I always have and always will be, evil."

My mother is stunned. Mallory motions for the Blank Punisher to come back up. My father runs down and holds my mother as the guards keep them both from getting any closer to me. They both sit crumpled on the floor in front of me. Now, the Blank Punisher starts to hit my back with the dagger. I felt like a piece of butcher meat.

"Please, Emma, just say ‘yes’ and they will stop," my mother says.

"Never," I shout, "MUHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAHHHAAA!"

My laugh startles everyone. This goes on for a few hours before Mallory finally snaps.

"Ok, everyone, that's enough. Instead of breaking her, Emma will be executed tomorrow afternoon, and the new vessel will be locked away. Thank you for coming everyone, my guards will show you to your rooms. Tomorrow the Dark One will finally die!"

Everyone is excited, except for my parents. But this time I didn't need their help. I had to do this on my own. I am taken off my chains, but I can’t even stand up. My mother makes a guard get a gurney table out from the Ogre wars. I am lifted and carried to my cell. The guard goes to the door and locks it... all fifteen locks. Later that night a crow comes to the bar window. I crawl to the window and lift myself onto the sill. There wasn't much space to sit but I did it.

"Hello, little one. I have a job for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On to Chapter 13... Almost done!


	13. It Was Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be a pretty short chapter, as will the next one. The final chapter will be posted tomorrow sometime from 12:45 to 6... I have a half day and then I have to go to work, but I will post the last chapter tomorrow, along with any answers to questions that you guys have for this book or Book 2. I will start posting Book 2 at some point on June 3rd or 4th. In the meantime, tell more people about this story so that they can enjoy this as much as I have!

Once the crow has my instructions, he leaves immediately. I had used my last bit of magic and one of Mallory's hairs that I managed to get when she got close enough to make a fitting key. A fitting key can fit in any lock and unlock it. But the key can only unlock one lock. So how could I possibly escape when there are fifteen locks to unlock instead of one standing in my way? Well, the answer is simple really. I have to unlock a different lock. The lock that leads to me getting out of here for good. The lock that leads to the Dark One’s dagger. My dagger.

I wait patiently for the crow for about 10 minutes before he arrives with it. Of course, Mallory was careless enough to leave the dagger in an enchanted chest, which my key unlocked. I'm always right when it comes to Mallory.

The crow drops the dagger on my bed of hay so that the guard doesn't hear it.

"Thank you, darling, I'll be home in a minute. I need to take care of a few things first. Go tell the guards that I'm coming back. Hurry!" I say to the crow. He nods and flies off. I pick up my dagger and hold it over me. Slowly I start to heal. The cuts come together and seal up, forming angry pink scars. Then the scars turn light pink and keep going lighter and lighter until finally all of it faded so that it looked as if it was never there. 

Then I remake the same shirt to cover up some of the scars until they had a chance to fully heal. I feel so evil that I accidently laugh. The guard unlocks the door and rushes in, sword ready. The second that he sees me with my dagger, not covered in blood, he starts to scream. And I can't just let him do that so, I wave my hand and instantly he falls asleep. I make a split-second decision and decide to put the entire guard to sleep. I want to leave the leaders wide awake. I tuck my dagger into my secret shirt pocket on the inside of my shirt and walk out. I make a trail of fire behind to follow me as I walked. I could hear the concern for the sleeping guards Mallory's annoyed voice. 

"We must find out who did this. Not many people are that powerful." I walk in and everyone instantly turns. Each of their faces has turned white. 

"Well, you can stop searching. It was me. But I did have a little help." Just then, the black crow flies in and lands on my shoulder.

"Tell your master thank you and give her this note. I look forward to seeing her again." The crow flew off towards Maleficent’s castle. Smiling, I turn to face everyone.

"And, as for all of you, for what you all did to me, you are about to be punished. And as for you, Mallory, you can now say to yourself every night of the rest of your miserable life that I escaped from you because I have more powerful allies than you, the worst villains alive. All with special talents that make them quite useful for my purposes."

"Even with the help of all the realm’s villains, Emma, the rules state that villains will never, ever, win," Mallory reply.

"Well then, I guess it’s time to change the rules. I will get my happy ending, even if I have to destroy almost everyone, I will get it, and I will never give up. I don't care about the rules anymore. I will win. Goodbye Mallory, for now."

I walk off and then turn. “By the way, your guards will wake up in an hour. I just needed that little chat." One of the leaders pulls a bow out. When were they going to learn? He aims and shoots straight for me. I catch it right before it hits me and laugh.

"That’s getting a little old, Mallory; you may want to try something else."

Then I disappear in a black cloud of magic, leaving them to deal with what I had just said. They knew it was a warning. One that they needed to prepare for and fast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notice Emma said "almost everyone"... well keep reading and find out who she means!


	14. Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tomorrow is the day! The finale of Book 1! Enjoy this chapter... it's just to fill in some gaps that I got asked about!

Once I walked back into my castle, all the guards had a few bodies to torture. My guards are so sweet and dedicated, but I have other more important things to do. The Hat is waiting in my bedroom. I close the door and put the Hat, the Book, and the Apprentice's Wand in a secret chamber, and seal the chamber with blood magic and walk out. I wait.

A few hours of spinning took my mind off of things. My guards knew that I had been tortured but knew not to ask about it. My scars were gone, so I couldn't show them

When I first moved in, I needed the perfect guard. I needed them to be strong, huge, brave, good with weapons, good at all types of fighting, caretakers, full of life, and dedicated. I created such guards with magic so that they would have all those characteristics plus more. I made both girls and boys so that my army could grow. Under my castle an underground fortress holds all the women, children, and guard’s quarters. Some guards had wives, some were searching, and some were old and were surrounded by grandchildren. I sent all guards who didn't have wives to the front, and the ones with wives and children in the back. Not a lot of the guards die. Only from natural causes. Mallory's guards live to about 80 or 110, but they age quickly just like a regular person. My guards live for 200 years before they start to grow old. I have kept the same head guards alive with their families for as long as they wish, but I can't do it forever. I can only give life for 1,000 years before they die. My head guard has 400 years before he can retire. Then his sons will take over. I do have a nice side, so to speak.

After a few hours, a crow arrives with a letter. It tells me to meet its master at the Rocky Mountain Cliffs. Finally. It’s time to change the rules...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last questions? Comments? Concerns? KUDOS?


	15. The Battle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter of Book 1 in the Dark One series! I will be introducing a new character (I'm sure you guys know who it is) who will be one of the major characters in the coming books! I am super excited for the next book! Thank you for going on this journey with me... and check on June 3rd or 4th for the next book!

The Rocky Mountain Cliffs. This place is where the Ogre wars took place. Before the Ogres left the realm, they smashed and scorched this corner of the land. Now there are cliffs upon cliffs. Huge boulders and sharp needlepoint rocks make up the floor, with huge cliffs towering over them. I don’t come here very often. It’s so boring and I can't really see why Maleficent would want to come here. But whatever, this is business, and if everything goes to plan I will have my happy ending, no matter what the rules say. 

I wait around and hear voices. Wait a minute. I hear voices, not one voice. Oh crap. This isn't going to be pretty...at all. You’d think getting almost tortured to death was bad? No. That was child’s play. This is a big battle, one that I have to fight to get what I want. 

Mallory walks out from behind a bolder that’s blocking the entrance. "Hello Emma."

"Hello Mallory, what’s the occasion?"

Suddenly, I see the realm leaders come out in a large group from behind another bolder. Oh right, I got away and know they want to finish the job that had been planned. Killing me. This is going to be interesting. 

"Well, Emma, since your execution is today, I decided to do it right here. Where it all began."

Oh yeah… that’s why. I think.

"You won't win, Mallory."

"I think you underestimate me, Emma."

"Alright, Mallory, let’s see how strong you really are." 

By this time all the villagers from a local village near the cliffs have gathered with the leaders to see the showdown between good and evil, but of course, they want Mallory to win. We start to circle each other, our energy gaining. Mallory throws the first punch and hits me with a blast of light. I fly back and crash against a bolder. I get right back up and throw a few fire balls at her. Then, she starts to make light ice balls. She didn't have good aim, but a few still hit me by accident. We both soon get tired of these little games and let the real battle begin. We both go full force with everything we have. Our powers look like white and black rope spiraling towards each other. When they collide is the scary part. A large ball of gray forms, and once big enough, it will take out the weakest opponent and launch them backwards. It chooses Mallory. Ha-ha! She flies back and hits the fence so hard that the entire cliff fencing falls off and plunders down to the depths of the cliffs.

I walk over to Mallory. Her broken sword is in her belt, but before I can grab it, I am blasted back. The Apprentice walks out and helps Mallory up. When I try to stand I can't. That was a hard blow of light. Mallory couldn't stand well either. The Apprentice helps her sit down by a boulder, while I stay where I am. I know it would only take a minute for Mallory to regenerate. I look to the crowd and stand up. I saw something. Yes, I am right. How could I miss it? There he was. Black leather. Handsome. And, a shiny hook for a hand. I could barely keep the tears from falling before I looked back at the boulder. 

By this time Mallory was up and ready to fight. But now I had something more to fight for... but not today. I smile and run. The crowd runs with me. I stop at the edge of the cliff and turn. There he is, only a few feet away. Mallory is only a few feet away too. I cross my arms, lean back, and fall. I see him run to the edge to look down. I fall and fall, and right before I hit the rocks, I let my black wings out. 

As I fly into the sunset, I look back. He smiles at me and I can see a small tear running down his cheek. I smile back and fly off as fast as my wings can go. I’ve missed you, and now you’ve come back to me. Until next time... Killian. I mutter to myself.

 

End of Book 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wasn't that just a fun cliff-hanger (literally) ;) So I have one day of finals left and then I'm going on vacation for a week! My plan is to finish writing the second book and then I won't touch it until I get back (This is a really good editing technique because I don't always remember what I wrote or if what I wrote made sense.) I'm still debating on the date because I don't know how tired I'll be from the plane ride, but I will start posting the second book on June 3rd or 4th! The title of the second book will remain: "The Dark One- Book 2" so that it's easy to keep them in order. Make sure to tell people about this work! We're up to 110 hits, but I'm ambitious! If some people need a little push, the next book will be Captain Swan themed (because they are soooo cute), and there is going to be some amazing scenes between Emma and Hook! Any last questions, comments, concerns? Kudos? Thank you guys for all your support and keep reading! (One last note: I will explain how Emma got wings, because yes there is a way and a reason on how and why she got them... but you have to stay tuned!)

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not the best at descriptions, but please make sure to comment on what I could do to improve (no I will not change the whole storyline for someone, just little details).


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